Cheers! Drink UP! part 2

Lara Popowitch
Lara Popowitch is a studio potter based outside of Chicago, IL. She has been a full-time studio potter for ten years. Before that she worked as a professional commercial artist, creating illustrations and branding for non-profit organizations, commercial companies, and international government projects. Growing tired of sitting at a desk making art for others, she began to explore new materials for her own personal growth. A local community college offered ceramic courses and that is where she became interested with clay.
 
The clay used is grolleg porcelain. The work is all fired in an electric kiln to cone six. The underglazes are a commercial brand and the studio-made clear glaze is occasionally colored with mason stains.
 
Her favorite piece would be the teacup and saucer, Beauty Metrics.  Her inspiration for it was the scientific study of beauty. The lines are where scientists measure facial proportions. The squares, circles and rectangles reference the different face shapes used to help decide which hairstyles are flattering on an individual.
 
Besides previously being in the show, Colorado has a special place in her memories. The last family road trip was here, and it was the most memorable. The state’s spectacular beauty kept the entire family spellbound and speechless with wonder.
 
Lara can be found online by the name of Clayvein on both Etsy and Instagram. There you can find out more about her and her work. 


​Mark Rossier
I make things. I gauge my day by the process of having an idea, problem-solving how to construct the idea, and then making a new object. That process simply delights me, so even though my day at work revolves around clay, I also work with wood and metal. These days I always have an acoustic or electric guitar in process in my wood shop, and renovation projects underway on two different family properties. I also volunteer on the board of two of our local studio tours and lend a hand with other arts organizations when I can. My wife and two daughters are very supportive and understanding people, in part because they know they get to live with cool handmade stuff.
 
It took an internship building wooden boats on the coast of Maine for me to realize that I truly loved working in three dimensions more than two. When I returned to campus to finish my art degree, the ceramics class back at college fit into my schedule and I was hooked. I’ve always felt like pottery chose me at that point. Upon graduation, I went to work for a production potter and have been doing it professionally ever since.
 
Until recently, I have stuck to a pretty narrow range of processes. I worked in both cone 10 reduction and cone 6 oxidation before opening my own studio, but I chose cone 6 for the breadth of its color palette and easier fuel options for firing. I’ve always been drawn to dark colored clay bodies and have worked with the same clay for nearly 30 years for my regular production. When I decided to fire in a smaller electric kiln instead of my large gas kiln, to speed up my turnaround time, I found myself opening up to, well, everything. Opportunities present themselves. I now wood-fire with a Train kiln team, and am learning traditional ancestral Puebloan processes, too. I’ve even found a love for porcelain. There are lifetimes of possibilities with clay.
 
Right from the start I have made my own glazes. Because of the struggle I had in those early years for information on how to make glazes from a non-technical viewpoint, I now teach a beginner’s workshop on understanding glazes and making them yourself. To me, not making your own glazes would be like painting but refusing to blend colors. There is a world of expression to tap in to when you can experiment with glazes.

​These are three of my current favorite pieces! My favoritism is an ever-evolving process when it comes to my work—which is good, I think. But the wood fired mug, to me, is a culmination of a lot of hard work that ended up successfully. It’s spare simplicity and subtleness are what I aim for from a wood firing. It is a wonderful mix of its form being accentuated by the touch of ash and flame. And it feels like it could be the start of a new direction in my work.

Mugs and cups are the potter’s calling card. They are the one piece that can bring the artistry of what they do into everyone’s home and actually change people’s daily routines because they are being affected by a piece of artwork. A mug and cup show sounds like a fun thing to be a part of, which it is, but it is nothing less than a movement to change our culture—who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?
 
The best place to find my work is in my studio showroom in Niwot, CO. But my website www.markrossierpottery.com is a close second. La Veta Gallery on Main in southern Colorado carries my work, as does Radius Gallery in Missoula, MT. The best way to keep track of what I’m up to is @markmudman on Instagram or Mark Rossier Pottery on FaceBook.



​Linda Schmale
I am an art educator and have been teaching Secondary art since 1996 and adult pottery classes since 1998. I was raised on Air Force bases around the world. My BA in Art is from UC Santa Cruz and I completed a MA in Ceramics and Art Education from Regis. I married my best friend Michael, who I met in college, 41 years ago. We have lived in Santa Cruz, England, San Jose, Fresno and El Paso before moving to Littleton CO in 1990. We have five adult children and four grandchildren. I focus mainly on ceramics but also draw, paint, print, photograph, and metalsmith. My work has been juried into shows in multiple mediums including Geaux Cups III in New Orleans. Plinth Gallery in RiNo Denver invited me to be their 1st pop-up artist in their gallery in December 2019 and is showing my cups. I like to travel and was fortunate to spend 3 weeks in China last summer.
 
 In HS the only art class offered was pottery, so I signed up and learned to throw. At UCSC there was an open studio for ceramics where I would go for a break from my other studio classes. Later, I took classes at San Jose City College and Cabrillo College, bought a neighbor's wheel. When I started teaching realized I needed to know more and started taking classes at Arapahoe CC and found a mentor in Kathy Holt. 

I tend to favor wheel throwing and look for forms that “sing” or say “ah”. I primarily use BMX white stoneware or Chestnut  ∆ 6 clays from Rocky Mountain clay. I mostly fire in gas reduction usually at the Studio I work for or at my school, (but I get the opportunity to be part of a friend’s wood kiln firings) I use studio made glazes but Covid -19 has me exploring commercial glazes until studios reopen,

​Controlled Ooze is my favorite piece - I love the richness of the Panama Red glaze and the contrast with the raw deep brown of the chestnut clay in reduction firing. I have been working on getting the Panama to drip and ooze in a controlled way and consider this cup to be successful.
 
Suzi Reaves at a recent Bill Van Gilder workshop at Plinth gallery was passing out postcards for the show and encouraging people to submit work.

Where can we find your work: website, social media, local galleries.
 http://schmaleart.square.site 
 https://lgschmaleclayart.weebly.com
 Facebook: Linda Schmale Studio
 IG: lindaschmale
 Plinth Gallery RiNo Denver, Mission Trace Framing and Gallery, Lakewood INTEA - Main St. Littleton, 
 
 
Ryan Schulz
I was born and raised in Hawaii, chased some residency and assistantship opportunities around the east coast for a few years, and then finished my MFA at the University of Florida last year.  Currently I'm working as a technician and adjunct faculty at Jacksonville University, but so help me, I will make my way back out west someday or die trying. 

Funny story.  I was taking a ceramics class at the University of Hawaii as a prerequisite figure sculpting class while also taking a tea ceremony class as part of a credit requirement.  The two fueled each other and things got pretty crazy from there on out.  I feel like most people relate to getting obsessed over that one form early in their ceramics adventures, mine was a tea bowl I could use in class.  I even built this tragically proportioned little train kiln to woodfire like, 3 bowls max in.  
 
The first leg of my process happens on the wheel, I throw my forms in porcelain and then alter in texture or drips after I've cleaned up the surface.  I love English porcelains like Colemans if you're more west coast, or standard 356 if you're out east.  Sometimes I'll do some additional underglazing while the work is bone dry, but typically I do all my surfacing after the 05 bisque before glazing.  When it comes to my illustrated surfaces, I always go commercial underglaze, but I tend to favor studio-made glazes for surface with more depth and control over color.  I always fire to cone 5 or 6 in oxidation via an electric kiln, sometimes I add in a slow cool cycle if I'm feeling sassy.   

​I think I like this swig the best.  I was experimenting with illustration composition on taller and slender forms, and I just got super stoked about the mountain/volcano situation taking advantage of that verticality.

Actually, a buddy of mine I've done a few collaborations with sent me the call link.  He said, "this is an awesome gallery in a small town in Colarado" and I was like, "heck yeah I'll apply."  In the end, I guess I was inspired by the power of friendship.  I also love themed shows like this where potters can show off multiple solutions to the same basic premise...  "What kind of drinking vessel is Potters McGee gonna submit, what about Slips McManister, I can't wait to see what everyone came up with!"  I love that kinda thing.  
 
My Instagram handle is @studio _schulz, my website is thestudioschulz.com, and I have work in the Charlie Cummings Gallery based out of Gainesville Florida. 


​Dan Squires
I'm a 38-year-old currently living in Portland, Oregon. Similar to most people I'm sure, I feel like the world has been turned upside down in recent months, and I'm finding it difficult to know where to start to answer this question. Much of my quarantine time has been spent making cups and going through a process of self-discovery about how to move forward in the world with the newfound sense of "normalcy".

A number of years ago my spouse and I were driving from Seattle to Portland via the longer and more scenic route through Poulsbo, Washington where we stopped and spent some time looking through a couple of galleries of local artists. There were quite a few potters who had their work on display there, and I ended up purchasing a few mugs. For some reason at that point in my life those galleries ignited a spark and pottery became something that I wanted to try doing for myself. The next spring I signed up for an introductory wheel throwing course at a local studio with the goal of learning to make a mug for myself. I was hooked on clay from there, and a few months later I had my own backyard studio setup and running.


Most of my current work is inspired by the Japanese pottery style of kurinuki, meaning "carved out." The rocky texture that I carve on the outside of the pieces is meant to be a reminder of nature when held in your hands or viewed on display. At this point I find that I prefer working with a red clay with a bit of grog from a local supplier called Georgies. I start by wedging and portioning out clay into known quantities formed into rough cylinders. Then I will start forming the inside of the vessel through a combination of pinching and carving with various tools. Next, I use a wire tool to carve the texture on the outside of the piece. On some pieces I will also use a smaller tool to carve a grooved section which will remain unglazed. At that point I will let the clay dry overnight so that it is firm enough to shape the foot. Usually I will use the same wire tool to carve a pentagon or hexagon shaped column on the bottom of the piece, which then I hollow out with a loop tool and then I'll stamp the inside of the foot with my chop. I'll then let the piece dry again before refining the inside and the lip with a couple different tools. When the piece has dried thoroughly I'll fire it to cone 04 and then apply wax and a variety of commercial glazes before firing to cone 6. I've been experimenting with the Steven Hill slow cool firing cone 6 program lately and have found that I really like the effect that it has on the glazes that I use. The kiln I'm using is an L&L Easy Fire.

Out of the two pieces that were accepted, I really like the cup that has the mottled black and green glaze on the outside. Finding that combination was a bit of a happy accident and I'm really pleased with how it looks on finished work.

Since the show is all about drinkware it seemed to be a perfect match to apply since that is basically all I'm interested in making right now.

My etsy site can be found at danmakesmugs.com and my instagram account is @danmakesmugs. When the world gets back to normal, my work can also be seen in person at the studio space in Portland, OR that I share with Vavroch Glass & Art Studio.

Michael Vangstad
Currently, I consider myself a full-time potter. Like many folks that earn a living through the arts, I continue to make this work by holding as many odd jobs that relate to my field as I can find. I am a studio technician and teacher for one pottery studio, a "clay date" instructor at another, and an on-call substitute teacher for pottery programs in public schools near me. In between these jobs is where I find time to craft my own work and then attempt to sell it. Formerly I was a social studies teacher, but when I did the math and figured out I could “make it” doing pottery, I decided to take the leap and give it a shot. I haven’t looked back since!
 
I first became interested in pottery during my undergraduate study at Bethel University in Saint Paul, Minnesota. While pursuing a degree in history I needed to take an art elective. I just so happened to be friends with an art major and he suggested the Ceramics 101 professor was great, so I signed up and didn’t think much about it. After the first day, however, I was hooked. I never considered myself to have any sort of artistic talent prior to taking ceramics, and if anything, this class really proved that to be a fact.  That being said, the more I learned about pottery the more I fell in love with this craft and knew that it was something I wanted to pursue. From this one class I accidentally discovered an entire subculture of pottery enthusiasts and artists living all around the Twin Cities and Minnesota in general and decided it was something I needed to be a part of.
 
Throughout my pottery career I have used a variety of clays, glazes, and firing techniques. Currently I am firing using an oxidation atmosphere in an electric kiln up to cone 6. I landed on this method because that is what is readily and economically available to me for the time being. While it was a learning process going from high-fire soda firing to midrange oxidation, it is something I have grown to really enjoy. The reliability of electric kilns to produce exact results was something that initially made me wary of any electric-fired work. I have always been drawn to the more rustic and seemingly random pottery that emerges from soda firing or wood firing. As a potter myself though, I have always been very particular and precise with my forms, textures, and glazing and I think what I produce at this point lends itself to controlled electric firings. I like to use clay that, in my mind, has some sort of inherent interest. Right now I am using a commercial stoneware clay from Minnesota Clay that fires to a nice red/orange color at cone 6 and has a lot of fine particles and grog that give the clay body itself some variation and depth. I use a variety of thin colored slips that I mix up in-house to give my pieces their different colors while still allowing the detail of the clay to show through in the final product. As for glazing, I mix just a couple, relatively simple clear glazes to finish out my pieces. One is very glossy, the other is more of a semi-matte. 
 
My favorite piece accepted for this event is the lavender mug with black underglaze accents. I think that slip is my favorite color right now and I really like the combination of the lavender with the red clay. The handle also fits my hand like a dream, and it has a general shape and joinery that just look pleasing to my eyes. Handles are a love-hate relationship for me in that when I get a handle just right it is always my favorite part of a pot. That doesn’t happen that often though, unfortunately. It doesn’t help that I still don’t exactly know what “just right” means to me regarding a handle. What is the perfect combination of size, taper, shape, joints, width, etc. that make a handle truly great? I think this will be a lifelong struggle for me, but this lavender mug is at least on the right track. And at the end of the day, it will hold a beverage just fine. 
 
 I’ve been spreading my pottery around the upper Midwest for a while now and I figured it would be a good time to head west. Cups and mugs are also a couple of my favorite things to create, so the Cheers! Drink Up! show seemed like a good fit.
 
My up-to-date work can be seen through my website, www.vangstadpottery.com, and on my Instagram @vangstadpottery. I sell online through Etsy which can be navigated to from my website or just by searching for VangstadPottery through Etsy itself. As for a local presence, I sell at a number of different art and pottery sales throughout the Twin Cities every year.
 


Anthony Young
My name is Tony Young and I'm a High School art teacher a little north of Columbus, Ohio.  I live with my wife beautiful Sarah, crazy little girls Vivian (7), and Valerie (4), and our cat Marshmallow.  I've just recently taken over the basement as my home studio.  I eat, sleep, and breathe clay.  And Donuts, I like donuts too.  


I went to Bowling Green State University in Ohio and took an introductory ceramics course.  My graduate assistant was this young surfer dude from California named Jon Ginnaty.  He was positive, encouraging, and even though I was below average skill wise something clicked with clay.  I loved it.  We fired in Wood, Soda, Salt, Gas, and electric kilns.  There was something magic about all the possibilities.  

The majority of my work is wheel thrown.  I do slip cast my tumblers I make, but other than that I wheel throw everything.  I use Laguna's B-Mix clay body and fire to Cone 5 in an electric kiln.  I do all my design work with underglaze using a variety of techniques.  I stencil, sponge, brush, flick, and hand paint.  I also use underglaze transfers, screen printing, and sometimes lusters.  All my underglazes and liner glazes are commercial glazes made by Amaco.  


I sent 4 fun pieces, but my personal favorite would be the Red, White, and Blue mug with the "Flip".  I really like the subtle pops of color it reminds me of one of those Rocket Popsicles.  The "Flip" or thumb rest, is one of my signatures, and makes the piece unique.  I also love that this one is super busy.  I like the ideas of someone being able to use my cup multiple times and discover something new about it on each occasion.  Sometimes Less is More, sometimes... MORE IS MORE.  


I applied for this show because last summer I came to Colorado from Ohio to visit some college friends.  One of my followers on Instagram, who lived in Colorado all her life but recently moved, informed me this show was going on and I must go see it!  Thanks Ashley!  So we were site seeing all over and made the trip from Castle Rock to Manitou Springs one day so I could check out the show.  I didn't buy a cup from the actual show but found one in the gallery I had to purchase for my collection.  I took it up to the counter and Deborah Hager was working, and it just happened to be HER CUP I had chosen.  One of those serendipitous moments.  We chatted and stayed in touch.  I had been waiting to enter since last summer and I'm honored to show in the gallery.  


The best place to keep up with me is on Instagram @youngy_03
 
This Fall I will have a collection of work at Abel Contemporary Gallery in Wisconsion and another collection in Rapscallion Gallery in Montana.  
 
I sell mainly through my online store:   Graffiti Inspired RIOT! Skull Mugs, Cups, and Tumblers. by TYoungCeramics
 
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TYoungCeramics
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